Ultraviolet light may be used for disinfection of liquids or objects. For example, it is known to use UV radiation generated by low-pressure or medium-pressure mercury arc discharge lamps for treatment of waste water. UV-C radiation (with a wavelength of 200-280 nm) achieves disinfection by damaging the DNA of contaminating micro-organisms. However, up to now UV disinfection has not found wide-spread use in household applications.
US-A-2005/0258108 describes a container for purifying water. The container has a lid with one or more UV LEDs as radiation source. Also, integrated in the lid is a solar panel and a rechargeable power source to operate the LEDs. The lid is removably attached to the container by way of threads or a snap-fit connection. In alternate embodiments, the UV LEDs are arranged on an elongate member extending from the lid into the container or on ribs arranged on the container wall. The LEDs emit light in the UV-C range of 200 to 265 nm. The device includes an indicator showing sufficient disinfection, which may be controlled based on the irradiation time alone, or may process the input from a motion sensor to account for the fact that agitated contents will be purified more rapidly.